Cleveland area - and its flowers - survive the snow

A region that had already turned its attention to spring dug out relatively unscathed from last week's snowfall.

Most of everyone's favorite front-lawn flora and fauna survived, and so did city streets and driveways -- even though many home plow contracts had ended, road salt ran low and snow-removal fleets started shutting down for the season.

The high temperatures should climb back into the 40s today and remain in that snow-melting mode for at least the next week, said Brian Mitchell, a meteorological technician. He forecast no significant snowfall to add to the icy mess that's already down.

The cold came early enough to avoid inflicting too much damage to trees and plants, said Jay Daley, general manager of Sunleaf Nursery in Madison Township. Heartier flowers like daffodils and tulips may emerge unscathed if the snow didn't snap them in half, Daley said.

However, consider the already open backyard blooms on magnolia trees and crabapples lost to the weather, said Grant Jones, a technical advisor with Davey Tree Expert Co. in Kent.

Homeowners may aslo notice reduced flowering on some other trees and shrubs, Jones said.

Regional fruit growers say they're optimistic they won't suffer any ill effects from the cold snap, as most local peach and apple trees have yet to flower.

"I pray for this around this time of year, just to slow things down," said Bob Sage of Sage's Apples in Chardon.

Municipal officials charged with clearing the snow didn't share Sage's glee. Cleveland, for instance, found itself caught amid a change to its spring and summer road program and fielded only about half of its normal snow-removal fleet, according to numbers provided by Maureen Harper, a spokesman for Mayor Frank Jackson.

Plows focused on clearing main and secondary streets -- a non-stop job given the constant barrage -- through the early part of the storm, Harper said. Plows switched over to neighborhood areas around 2 p.m. Easter Sunday and kept rumbling through Monday.

"Its been a real challenge," Harper said.

Chardon nearly ran out of road salt trying to keep its roads passable. The city got by thanks in part to a 60-ton salt loan from nearby Mentor, which avoided the storm's full blast and saw only a few inches of snow.

Solon, workers rushed to convert road trucks back into plows as the flakes kept piling up to drifts of more than 30 inches. The city ended up with nine plows on the road, about half of what it fields during a bad day in January, said Public Works Director Jim Stanek.

Meanwhile, high school sports schedules have turned upside down. Snow-covered fields and near-freezing temperatures will keep most prep athletes sidelined awaiting sunnier days. Athletic directors said some cancelled events -- such as Saturday's Big E track invitational at Ellet High School in Akron -- will not be rescheduled.

The expected thaw won't bring immediate relief, either, as soggy ballfields will be unfit for play. Everyone's season is going to be scrunched.

"It's wreaking havoc," said Hudson Athletic Director Ray Ebersole "As the days go on it will be all jammed up."

But will we see another wintry blast?

Stanek of Solon said he's not betting against it, no matter the forecast. The city's putting in an order for another 500 tons of salt. The Ohio Department of Transportation also plans to load up after draining much of its salt supply over the past few days.